Owensboro Municipal Utilities crews recently traveled to the Nashville area to assist with power restoration efforts following a significant winter storm, continuing a long-standing tradition of utilities supporting one another during emergencies.
Austin McLimore, OMU director of transmission and distribution, said OMU participates in both the Kentucky statewide mutual aid agreement and the American Public Power Association’s national mutual aid network.
“For the case of Nashville Electric Service, the request came through the APPA mutual aid system,” McLimore said.
OMU crews initially reported to NES’s north service center before being reassigned to the west center. After one day, crews were deployed to Donelson, where they spent the remainder of the week working in heavily impacted neighborhoods.
Lee Broadley, OMU line crew leader, said storm damage remained widespread even days after the event.
“There was still a lot of ice on the trees,” Broadley said. “There were a lot of broken limbs and a few whole trees down. Pine trees were almost stripped to the trunk.”
Broadley said many downed trees had fallen onto power lines, often breaking poles and creating extensive repair work.
“They had a whole slew of broken poles that had to be replaced,” Broadley said.
While the damage was serious, Broadley said the storm did not quite match the scale of the historic 2009 ice storm that crippled much of Western Kentucky.
“It was not quite as severe as 2009 was,” Broadley said. “But it did bring back a lot of those memories.”
McLimore noted the importance of mutual aid agreements, particularly during large-scale disasters that can quickly overwhelm a utility’s local resources.
“It’s imperative for any utility to be part of a mutual aid agreement,” McLimore said. “When storms of that magnitude hit, you become quickly overwhelmed and realize you’re short of the resources needed to get restoration completed in a timely manner.”
OMU has both provided and received assistance over the years.
“There is absolutely no cost to our ratepayers,” McLimore said. “The requesting entity is responsible for reimbursing all costs associated with the response.”
McLimore said reimbursement typically covers expenses such as food, fuel and equipment usage. Lodging arrangements are often provided by the requesting utility, though conditions can vary depending on the severity of the event.
Beyond logistics, McLimore emphasized the safety challenges crews face when working on unfamiliar systems under hazardous conditions.
“Line work is already an inherently dangerous profession,” McLimore said. “You’re going to a foreign system that has been decimated by Mother Nature, with hazards you may not be aware of.”
Broadley said despite the long hours and difficult conditions, crews take pride in helping restore power.
“We are very glad to help,” Broadley said. “Getting somebody’s power back on, whether it’s here or on another system, is very rewarding.”
McLimore added that restoration work often continues long after power is initially restored, as utilities return to complete permanent repairs and system upgrades.
“Even after the storm has passed and the lights are back on, there is still a lot of system work that occurs,” McLimore said.
